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Romodels: helping every child in your school to believe "that could be me"

As a governor, you’re already asking the big questions: are all our pupils getting the same chances, whatever their background? Is our curriculum genuinely broadening horizons? Is the aspiration gap closing, or growing?

Romodels is an education charity working with schools across Wales to open up a world of career possibilities for children aged 4 to 14, through our bilingual Romodels Learning Portal. We connect learners to diverse, real-life Romodels from communities across Wales, role models who share insights into their career journeys and set engaging, real-life missions inspired by the day-to-day reality of their jobs. To date, we have inspired over 15,000 learners across Wales to believe “that could be me!”

Our Romodels span a wide range of careers and communities. They include Ashton, anti-racism campaigner and Commonwealth Games Wales board member, Abi, a farmer and president of the National Farmers’ Union Cymru, Maire, a space weather forecaster, Emily, illustrator of the sequel to Roald Dahl’s books, Adam, an Earthshot Prize finalist inventor, and Hannah, an emergency department manager at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. Each one brings their own journey into the classroom, so learners see themselves reflected in careers they might never have considered.

Our research-based education model follows three steps:

– Discover: Tailored, age-appropriate videos bringing Romodels’ life and career stories to life.

– Experience: hands-on, real-life missions mapped to the Curriculum for Wales, spanning all Areas of Learning and Experience and differentiated by Progression Step, let learners step into that role.

– Believe: mini job descriptions connect classroom learning to real-world opportunities.

We have 89 partner schools across Wales. Our approach is grounded in evidence and refined in partnership with schools; our most innovative partners use Romodels for up to 80 days a year. Our success is best evidenced by the shift we see in teachers and learners. The data from our latest survey found the following improvements:

– “My learners aspire to many different careers” from 13% to 69% (+56)

– “My learners believe any career is possible in the future” from 25% to 92% (+67)

– “My learners can set realistic goals and believe they can reach them” from 17% to 94% (+77)

One of our partner schools, Maesycmmer Primary, was spotlighted by Estyn for its work on career and work-related experiences. Another, Fairoak, has been highlighted by the Welsh Government for its authentic curriculum and real-life role models. Here’s a video to hear from St Gwladys’ leadership and learners on the impact Romodels has made for their school. Would you like to see a similar impact in your school?

We’d love to collaborate to support your school development plan priorities and help build an even more contextualised curriculum that meets the needs of your learners. At the equivalent of £5 per pupil, it’s a cost-effective way to raise aspirations across your school. Together, we inspire the next generation of scientists, creatives, engineers, entrepreneurs, changemakers and trailblazers.

Email us to arrange a time to chat: [email protected] or [email protected]